Pitchfork

London's Hot Chip know a thing or two about robot men. The Aliens, aka the Beta Band co-founder Gordon Anderson and former members Robin Jones and John Maclean, do "Robot Man" as funky postmodern pastiche-- think Beck's Midnite Vultures gone mod-psych-- on this year's Astronomy for Dogs. "I am the robot man," the Scots repeat, enough times for "Hey Jude" or for you to believe it, despite a lack of hackneyed sci-fi sound effects.

Hot Chip's remix adds a robot-rattling house beat and disco hi-hat, allowing the silly "robot man" chant to spread out across the electronic space like the similarly persistent refrains of the Beta Band's finest songs. At seven minutes, it's more the kind of thing a DJ might mix a snippet of into a set than something you'll return to again and again-- it does keep repeating "I am the robot man," after all-- but the moments when the beats cut out and leave you with rickety guitar and smooth-criminal harmonies are worth a bit of your time. Even if you're not a robot, man.